UFC 157 title challenger Carmouche began Rousey preparations a year ago

UFC 157 title challenger Carmouche began Rousey preparations a year ago

With unmatched aggression and a devastating submission attack, newly crowned UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey (6-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) currently is considered the most dangerous female fighter on the planet.

Eleven weeks from now, Strikeforce veteran Liz Carmouche (7-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) will be charged with the task of figuring out a riddle no one else has come remotely close to solving.

Fortunately for “Girl-Rilla,” she started the preparation more than one year ago.

“From her second fight in Strikeforce, I was already studying her and breaking her down,” Carmouche told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). “We were already preparing and analyzing and making adjustments in our game specifically for Ronda.”

Earlier this week, Rousey, the former Strikeforce women’s bantamweight champion, was announced the UFC’s first-ever female fighter and immediately was awarded the promotion’s first women’s belt. Carmouche also was announced as Rousey’s first opponent, and the two will meet in the main event of February’s UFC 157 pay-per-view event in Anaheim, Calif.

UFC President Dana White, once staunchly opposed to promoting female fights, has openly admitted Rousey is the primary reason he elected to take a chance on women’s MMA. In that way, it almost seems as if the UFC’s current plan is to market the new division as Rousey vs. her latest victim. If that’s the case, Carmouche said she’s fine with playing the role of hapless victim – at least in the buildup to the fight.

“I’m actually used to being the underdog, and it’s something that I’m comfortable with and like taking advantage of,” Carmouche said. “When you have no expectations for someone, then all they can do is shine that much brighter and do wonderful things.

“My first fight, I was in Mexico, and it was the same case. There was a woman that was built up that was supposed to be their rising star from Mexico and represent them. I had the entire crowd booing me, but I fed off of it. That many people running against me just gives me more energy to prove them wrong. If anything, it’s going to help me out.”

As a retired U.S. Marine, Carmouche unquestionably is comfortable in pressure situations. Still, the UFC 157 booking likely will provide a test of nerves for both fighters. Making a UFC debut is one thing, and many a fighter can tell you that first-timers almost always experience the dreaded “octagon jitters.” But Rousey and Carmouche have been brought in to headline a PPV event, and there certainly will be high expectations for their efforts.

Carmouche, though, believes that come fight night, all that matters will be her opponent.

“I’m definitely going with the positives,” Carmouche said. “I’m not going to have those jitters, and I’m going to enjoy the moment. Every time I’ve stepped into the cage, the whole crowd just goes away. It’s just myself, my opponent and my coaches. I see it being the same now.”

If Carmouche can indeed avoid the perils of the bright lights, she’ll have only started the battle. Rousey has yet to see an opponent last past the opening round, and five of her opponents haven’t even made it through the first minute of the fight. All have fallen by armbar.

“She implements her gameplan,” Carmouche said. “She puts the pressure on. A lot of people kind of wait to feel things out, and she doesn’t give you a second’s notice to feel things out. She pushes it, and she goes for exactly what she wants without letting any minutes play out, and I think that’s really what’s been the biggest thing going for her.”

Meanwhile, Carmouche is respected as a heavy-hitter, and most assume if she’s victorious, it will be because of her hands. And if there are any lingering doubts as to Rousey’s complete MMA abilities, it would be in her ability to take a punch, as none of her opponents has yet to truly test her chin. Still, Carmouche insists she doesn’t necessarily consider that her sole path to victory.

“With the caliber of fighter that she is and the people that she practices with, I don’t doubt that her chin has already been tested,” Carmouche said. “You have to understand, she hasn’t been tested because she has great defense and great countering, and she uses exactly what she knows. It’s been working for her.”

Regardless of what she does in the cage, Carmouche forever will be a part of MMA lore. Sure, the UFC’s 135-pound women’s division may have been created largely for Rousey, but that just means every fighter that steps in the cage across from her will find herself with a real chance to steal the spotlight.

The 28-year-old said she’s long been dreaming of that opportunity.

“When I first started watching the UFC, I dreamt about being the first-ever women’s fight, but it’s just like a dream of wanting to be an astronaut; you always imagine that you’re going to go to the moon, but you don’t really think it’s going to happen,” Carmouche said. “So while I did dream it, I didn’t think I was ever going to be able to achieve it. To have that happening now is just crazy.”

But Carmouche isn’t expecting to find herself in a list of also-rans in Rousey’s rearview mirror. Sure, the champion has been dominant until now, but with the UFC on board, it’s a whole new ballgame.

TORONTO – MMAjunkie is on scene and reporting live from today’s early and official UFC 206 fighter weigh-ins, which kick off at 9 a.m. ET (6 a.m. PT). Join us for a live video stream and official results.

ALBANY, N.Y. – MMAjunkie is on scene and reporting live from today’s UFC Fight Night 102 event at Times Union Center in Albany, N.Y., which kicks off at 5:45 p.m. ET (2:45 p.m. PT). You can discuss the event here.